丝
sī
silk
thread-like thing; (cuisine) shreds or julienne strips; classifier: a trace (of smoke etc), a tiny bit etc
a picture of 丝 → two twisted silk skeins, fine as a thread
The character originally depicted two twisted skeins of silk thread, and 一 here represents a single fine strand — silk being nature's finest, thinnest fiber. The connection to 'a tiny bit' or 'a trace' follows naturally from silk's gossamer quality.
这条围巾是用真丝做的，摸起来很软。
zhè tiáo wéijīn shì yòng zhēn sī zuò de, mō qǐlai hěn ruǎn.
This scarf is made of real silk, and it feels very soft.
他的脸上没有一丝笑容，看起来很难过。
tā de liǎn shàng méiyǒu yī sī xiàoróng, kàn qǐlai hěn nánguò.
There was not a trace of a smile on his face; he looked very sad.
Words with 丝
擦丝
cā sī
to grate (cheese, carrots etc); to shred
酸辣土豆丝
suān là tǔ dòu sī
hot and sour shredded potato
金石丝竹
jīn shí sī zhú
lit. (music instruments made of) metal, stone, string, and bamboo (idiom)
金丝燕
jīn sī yàn
Aerodramus, genus of birds that use echolocation, a subset of the Collocaliini tribe (swiflets), two of whose species – Aerodramus fuciphagus and Aerodramus maximus – build nests harvested to make bird's nest soup
金丝猴
jīn sī hóu
golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)
金丝雀
jīn sī què
canary
金额丝雀
jīn é sī què
(bird species of China) red-fronted serin (Serinus pusillus)
银丝卷
yín sī juǎn
yin si juan, steamed bun from Shandong province with hand-drawn dough threads folded over
银丝族
yín sī zú
the older generation (respectful term)
铜丝
tóng sī
copper wire
钢丝
gāng sī
steel wire
钢丝球
gāng sī qiú
stainless steel scourer